Sea of people: A massive volume of visitors entering Malaysia as Singapore enjoys a long break.
JOHOR BARU: Follow the road rules when entering Malaysia or risk being sent back to Singapore, warn Johor police as travellers from the island republic flood the state.
Johor police chief Comm Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat said this as traffic jams built up at the two land checkpoints – Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) here and Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) in Iskandar Puteri.
“This is due to the increase in pedestrians and vehicles in conjunction with the long weekend and school holidays in Singapore,” he said here yesterday.
He added that police took proactive steps by placing extra policemen at locations in and around BSI and KSAB.
This was to ensure that traffic flowed smoothly and that obstacles and road accidents could be cleared as quickly as possible, he said.
Motorists who violate road rules would be issued summonses and ordered to immediately return to Singapore, he warned.
“Road users, in particular foreign registered vehicles, must comply with the road rules in Malaysia. They should be vigilant, control their emotions and be patient,” he said, adding that provocative behaviour could put themselves and other road users in danger.
The Straits Times reported that close to 250,000 travellers departed from Singapore through the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints on Thursday, making it the highest number since land borders between Malaysia and the republic reopened in April 2022.
The large number of travellers from Singapore was due to the Wesak Day long weekend coupled with the June school holidays, said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority in a statement.
Earlier, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi also said that vehicles entering Malaysia from Singapore had been told not to cut queues or risk being ordered to return to the island.
He thanked the police for being on duty to control traffic congestion at KSAB, which connects to the Second Link in Iskandar Puteri.
“I have been made to understand that vehicles found to cut queues cannot enter Malaysia and will be directed back to Singapore,” he said in a Facebook post.
